Unis 'press pause' on pilot plan to bring back international students
By Fergus Hunter
A plan for international students to start returning to Australia this month has been postponed because of heightened uncertainty about the containment of COVID-19.
The pilot program to bring 350 students to Canberra from Asia had been developed by the Australian National University and University of Canberra and backed by the federal and ACT governments.
ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt said the program was not being cancelled, just delayed. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The universities viewed the plan to have students arrive for second semester as laying the groundwork for large-scale arrivals across the country in the year ahead but on Thursday announced the plan would be suspended.
ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt said the university's focus was on the wellbeing of its students and the program could happen only when it was safe.
"This is not an end to the program – just a delay – and we remain committed to ensuring our students can continue their studies back in Australia when the time is right," Professor Schmidt said in a statement.
UC vice-chancellor Paddy Nixon said: "Given the ever-evolving circumstance of this global pandemic, we think it best to press pause on our plans to return a small number of our valued continuing international students who contribute so much to the vibrancy of our city and our campus."
Under the plan, students would have come to Canberra on a charter flight from an Asian airline hub. They would have quarantined for two weeks in hotels. The effort would have been funded by the students and universities, with support from the ACT government.
A separate plan to bring 800 students to South Australia has also been thrown into disarray because of the state government's decision to keep its borders closed.
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has said two conditions must be met before international students could return: the state or territory had to open its borders to domestic travel and the university campuses must be open for on-campus learning for domestic students and international students already in the country.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr Tehan said planning for the return of international students was well underway and would be subject to robust health and quarantine requirements.
"Pilots are led by states and territories in partnership with education institutions. As circumstances across Australia are subject to change in line with advice from health authorities, states and territories will need to consider this in the design and implementation of pilots," he said.
The Victorian and NSW governments have also been working on proposals but those have been thrown into doubt by COVID-19 uncertainty.
The international education sector was worth $39 billion last year. Universities have estimated they could lose up to $19 billion over the next three years due to lower international student numbers.
Tens of thousands of international students were unable to begin or return to their studies earlier this year as travel restrictions were imposed. The impact on students and universities will deepen as more students are unable to arrive for second semester.
Data released by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment last month showed there were 20,682 deferments in March and 22,277 in April, compared to 3750 and 3138 in the same months last year.
Amid escalating tensions between the Australian and Chinese government's, China's Ministry of Education last month warned about a growing risk of racist attacks for students in Australia.
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University Of Canberra
Fergus Hunter is a crime reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously reported on federal politics, education and communications at Parliament House in Canberra.Connect via Twitter, Facebook or email.